Procurement Officer at Mercy Corps

Location: Biu - Borno State

General Position Summary

• The Procurement Officer is responsible for overseeing procurement aspects of Mercy Corps’ South Borno program operation. 
• Working closely with Program, Administration, Finance and Logistics the Procurement Officer is instrumental in supporting program activities through timely procurement of program supplies and office running supplies.

Essential Job Functions

• He/ She will be the lead person in all procurement process in South Borno ensuring there is timely delivery of all supplies with complete document of the whole process.
• Coordinates daily Mercy Corps (MC) procurement activities, with respect to internal procedures.
• Possesses a full understanding of MC procurement policies and formats. Provide training to new staff on these policies and provided refresher training as gap in staff knowledge are identified;
• Assists staff as needed on creating clear and understandable purchase requests (PR) and other documentation;
• Collects quotations and bids from the market for PR-s with support from Senior Procurement & Logistics Officer in Abuja - as per Mercy Corps standards and formats;
• Maintains PR Master Lists and shares with staff on weekly bases.
• Interact with vendors during collection of quotations - explain Mercy Corps formats and ensure that vendors will use the provided forms.
• Ensures fair competition and strictly adhere to Mercy Corps procurement rules regarding vendor relations as described by Mercy Corps
• Interacts with contractors, in coordination with the Senior Procurement & Logistics Officer, Operations Manager and Team Leader, deputy Team Leader.
• Ensures that the required documentation of supplies and transactions are completed to Mercy Corps standards.
• Raise payment request for vendor’s payments and monitor the status of each payment.

The Procurement Officer will:

• Always accord prompt and courteous reception and fair and equal treatment to all vendors/suppliers and their representatives.
• Provide equal opportunity for vendors/suppliers to make price and specification quotations.
• Guarantee the confidentiality of all specifications and price quotations made by vendors/suppliers.
• Decline to take advantage of vendors/suppliers’ errors, and show consideration for vendors/suppliers’ difficulties by co-operating with them whenever possible.
• Avoid subjecting vendors/suppliers to needless expense or inconvenience when requesting quotations or returning goods.
• Explain as clearly and fully as possible to vendors/suppliers the reason(s) for the rejection of their bids/proposals.
• Remain scrupulously free of obligations to any vendor/supplier.
• Remain informed about sources of supply, methods, services and materials and encourage vendors/suppliers to test and develop improved or expanded products and services.
• Inform vendors/suppliers about current and anticipated requirements.

Knowledge and Experience

• Degree in Business Studies, Accounting is desired. 2-3 years of experience in large scale supply chain management, preferably with an International Non-Governmental organization.
• Strong organizational skills; ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel.
• Excellent oral and written English skills.
• High computer skills on MS Office programs, especially in MS Excel.
• A demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action as to not delay program activities.
• A clear understanding of procurement ethics and donor compliance is essential.

Success Factors

• Conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment
• Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks
• Willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people
• Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel
• Good spoken and written English and knowledge of local language, Hausa, Babura etc.
• Computer literate and strong organizational skills.
• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts. Conscientious with high work ethics.